Imagine that I were to tell you about a good friend that I have. This friend, I tell you, is kind, loving, and wise. Naturally, you're interested in this friend of mine, so you ask me a little more. And I tell you that -- when I say my friend is kind -- he (or she) is easily the kindest person I know -- indeed, the kindest person I've ever met. Suitably impressed, you press me for more details. So I tell you about how loving my friend is. Indeed, my friend is even more loving than my family. He (or she) is easily the most loving person I have ever known. And I also tell you how wise my friend is. I say that I have met many wise people in my life, but this friend is far and away the very wisest person I could imagine.

"You're very lucky," you say to me. "I guess you spend a great deal of time listening to what your friend has to say."

And at that point I begin to look a little vague. I say, "Well, I like being with my friend. And I like talking to him (or her) a couple of times a day. But I never, ever listen to my friend."

Wouldn't you be surprised? Wouldn't you think there was some kind of mistake? Wouldn't you suggest that -- if I never listen to my friend -- perhaps he (or she) is not quite as wonderful as I think? Might you not say that -- if my friend is everything I claim to believe -- it might be good idea to listen to him (or her) on a routine basis?

If, then, as a member of a 12-Step program, I claim to believe in a Power greater than myself, what conceivable reason can I have for not spending time each and every day listening in Step 10 and Step 11 meditation to the best Friend a person could have?